Ciao-Hello in Italian! I personally haven't been to Italy, but I know so many that have been here and a couple that graduated from UMM is currently there right now. I plan to put the info based on what I've heard from these folks as of Sunday, March 14th 2004.
With the current popularity of "The Passion", I decided to look more into the location of the filming...
(A) There were two main locations that THE PASSION was filmed. The crucifixion scenes were filmed in a beautiful city called Matera in the Basilicata area of Italy. The rest of the movie was filmed on a set built by Production designer Francesco Frigeri and decorator Carlo Gervasi; it is complete with a temple, courtyard, a Praetorium, Pilate’s Palace and various smaller sets. -FAQ 2
Restaurants
Alimento italiano, ambiance viene a Morris (02/18/2006) Morris Sun Tribune
"Jason Mueller said cooking well is his passion, and area gourmands might be just as enthused that he will pursue his profession in Morris.
Mueller and his wife, Candra Ruiz, expect to open their new Italian restaurant, Bello Cucina, by May 1.
The restaurant will occupy space formerly home to Yeager’s The Floor Store on Atlantic Avenue, just off Fifth Street.
Mueller, formerly executive chef for Cafe Bella in Glenwood, said he will maintain the menu style and the dining experience he helped create there.
“I did some research on the demographics of Morris, and I found there was a lot of fast food but not a lot of sit-down restaurants,” Mueller said. “I want a place where you not only eat, but eat with your eyes and enjoy all the culinary experiences.”
During his time at Cafe Bella, Mueller said he would visit with diners and heard a familiar refrain.
“A lot of (Cafe Bella’s) customer base came from Morris,” Mueller said. “I’d be in the restaurant, talking with guests and a lot of them said, ‘How come you don’t open in Morris?’ Everything fell in line.”
Mueller moved often as the son of a father in the airline industry, and he graduated from St. John’s Prep, in Collegeville, in 1989.
After a stint in the Marines ended prematurely because of a broken ankle, Mueller moved to Rhode Island to enroll at Johnson & Wales University’s College of Culinary Arts.
Despite the training, Mueller started out working all manner of jobs in the food industry after his return to Minnesota in 1994.
“(Culinary school) was quite an experience, but what I found out is that no matter what you do, the industry wants you to put the time in,” Mueller said. “You still start out at the bottom and work your way up.”
And, in the food industry, that often means working two jobs.
Mueller worked in the Twin Cities at the California Cafe and Planet Hollywood at the Mall of America, and also plied his trade at the Decathlon Athletic Club in Bloomington, Sidney’s and at hotels.
“Most of my early career shaped up that way,” said Mueller, who met his wife when they both worked at the Decathlon Athletic Club. “But it was good because I like to be well-rounded.”
Mueller was working for the Doolittle’s chain in Plymouth, and then moved to the area when Doolittle’s opened in Alexandria.
Mueller’s grandparents lived in Glenwood and his parents were living there. The move also allowed Mueller to indulge his hobbies as an avid hunter and fisherman.
Moving on to work at Cafe Bella allowed Mueller to develop a menu without a lot of corporate “red tape,” he said.
After Mueller helped the Cafe Bella ownership with the opening of the Lakeside Chop and Steak House, they parted ways, and Mueller soon began working on his Morris idea.
Mueller had his building permit approved earlier this week, and the Morris City Council on Tuesday approved his liquor license application.
Mueller and Ruiz now are in the process of renovating The Floor Store building.
Once open, Mueller will run the kitchen, and Ruiz, with 12 years experience in the food industry, will take care of operations out front, he said.
Mueller said he expects to hire between 16 and 20 full- and part-time employees once the restaurant is up and running.
Until then, he’s optimistic that a fairly busy opening night awaits.
“I guess everywhere I go around town, people are excited,” he said. “That makes me excited.”
Study Abroad
Italian Restaurant in Glenwood, MN
this is probably the closest to Italian food around Morris
It seem like when you think of Italy, one thinks of food! I went to a pizza place in St. Paul for my high school track&field end of the season banquet. It was called "Italian Oven", which I can just remember the food was gooood!
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"And found a certain Jew named Aquila, born in Pontus, lately come from Italy, with his wife Priscilla; (because that Claudius had commanded all Jews to depart from Rome:) and came unto them."-Acts 18:2
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